On a Wing and a Prayer
by Elf Asato
Summary: First Heero goes, then he's back, his friends are getting married, and in the whole mess he manages to dump his girlfriend and get a boyfriend...


On a Wing and a Prayer

Author: Elf

_Date started: December 25, 2000_

Warnings: Strong language, mild violence, light angst, lime 

_Pairings: 1xOOC girl (yes, Heero IS in a het pairing…but not for long _J_), 4+1, 2x3, 2x1, 3x1, Howard + Catherine_

Summary: Heero loses himself during a battle and spends quite some time trying to make it right and to find what he lost…himself.  A visit to his old friends, though, brings him back and he realizes, after all, their tie is so strong; they can never be separated…no matter what.

[I gambled with love and others.  Gambling's a sinner's game.  I flew upon a wing and prayed upon a prayer that the ones I loved would find each other as I led them apart.  I'm not much different from a sinner or a saint and I can find no differences between a wild animal and myself – pleasure seeking and pain avoiding…both of us, the same.]

He saw the beam cannon charge up and abruptly fire, destroying five Tauruses.  "…Who's the bright son-of-a-bitch who got us into this damn situation?" he yelled to no one in particular.

"Hey!  Sorry 'bout that!" Duo said cheerfully over the com link.  "I'm in a mess myself!"

Who the hell could be cheerful at a time like this?

Heero looked at his screen and could see nothing past the line of Tauruses firing at him.  Apparently, he and Wing Zero were taking quite a beating from the hundred something mobile dolls thrown at them.  "Damn you," he muttered as the beam cannon charged up again.

"It's unbelievable how strong these Tauruses are," he heard Quatre say.

"They may be new models," Wu Fei's voice said as Wing Zero's beam cannon fire again, taking three Tauruses with it.

The next voice was Trowa's.  "We're taking quite a beating.  Do you think we should retreat?"

"Retreat?!  Hell no!  What the hell are you thinking?!" Heero heard someone say.  The com link and his screen were full of static.

"Zero…come on," he muttered.

"Duo, Trowa has a point.  I think we can dampen our pride in exchange for our lives," he heard a voice sat.  Judging from the pitch of it, he could tell it was Quatre's.

Heero knew Zero was in bad shape, and so was he.  Each hit to his Gundam seemed like a hit to him.  Reluctantly, he said, "I need help.  I can't see a damn thing."

"Can you wait a little while, Heero?  I need to get myself out of this mess first!" he heard someone say.  His head was pounding and he couldn't tell whether it was Duo or Trowa.

Another wave of the dolls' fire hit Zero, various instruments in the cockpit sparking.  "Shit…" Heero muttered as a panel began to spark under his wrist and something sparked next to his temple.  Jerking away, he found himself in pain.

"We and our Gundams are no longer in any shape to fight anymore.  I seriously think we should retreat!" he heard someone else say.  His head was bleeding and so was his wrist.  Heero knew it was a bad sign when he began to feel dizzy and lightheaded.

"We fight!  If we don't then the enemy will think that we're cowards, and I, for one, couldn't live with myself knowing that!"

"Wu Fei, everyone, stop letting your pride get in the way of logical thinking!  We – "

"Shut the hell up, Quatre!  I'm not letting anyone retreat!  We're a team and we're going to fight these goddamn Tauruses like one!"

"Damn it, Duo!  Have you looked out there?!  There must be more than a thousand armored mobile dolls attacking us right now!  In our current condition, we have no chance!"

"You want to be a fucking coward, Trowa, that's fine!  In fact – "

"Just because I'm probably the only one here with common sense doesn't make me a fucking coward, dammit!  You're a damn fool for wanting the team to take on these goddamn mobile dolls in the state we're in!"

"As a team, we can do it!"

"Newsflash, Duo, we're not immortal, or invincible for that matter."

Heero couldn't help but growl.  _They're always at it like this…dammit…why do they always do this?_  He struggled to keep from passing out, but heard nothing after that.  He wasn't' sure if it was because of him or if things had gotten very silent.  Struggling to keep his voice, he muttered, "My screen's completely blank.  My controls aren't working and they keep attacking."

"Heero, I'm so very sorry, but I'm completely surrounded and I can't see anyone else," a high voice said.

"My screen's full of static and I've run out of ammo, but I'll try to get to you as fast as I can," someone said.  Unless anyone else had ammo to run out of, Heero was fairly sure that it was Trowa.

"All I see are Tauruses, but if I find you, I'll help you out," another voice said.

"I'm a sitting duck…." Heero muttered to himself, fighting a heavy sleep.

"What about Wu Fei?" the high voice said.

The other voice replied, "I dunno.  I don't think the controls are working right in his Gundam."

"Which is another reason why we need to retreat."

"…Trowa…" a voice said tersely.

"Duo, listen to me.  W – "

After that, the Tauruses sent another attack wave and Heero lost all consciousness, thinking just before he did, _We should have retreated_.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Heero sat in the dining room looking over a letter he had received.

"Ah, mail," a voice said.  The person belonging to the voice came up behind up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.  "Bills?"

"Some," he said, giving her the stack of envelopes which were known to her as the dreaded thing called bills.  It annoyed her how the billing companies insisted on using the ancient envelope for sending bills instead of electronically like virtually everyone else did.

"Who's this from?" she asked, taking the unopened envelope from him.  "Let's see, Duo Maxwell and Trowa Barton…who are they?"

"…Just old friends," Heero said, taking it back from her.  "Strange, though, that it's from both of them."

"Aa, old friends," she smiled, kissing his ear.  "Just writing to see what the hell you've been doing and why the hell you haven't called?"

"Perhaps, Nida," he said as he began to open it carefully.

She stopped kissing him and asked seriously, "Do you want me to leave the room so you can read it privately?"

"No, that's all right," Heero said as he took the letter out of the envelope and began to read.

"Good," she said, and as to confirm it, she sat on his lap.

After he finished reading it he remarked, "You were on the right track.  Just wanted to see what I've been doing and if I was okay."

"Of course.  I'm always on the right track," Nida laughed as she kissed his head.  "You should realize that by now."

"…But you didn't say anything about a wedding."

"A what?" she asked, tilting her head.

"A wedding.  We're invited to a wedding," he stated as he reread the letter.

Nida smiled brightly and exclaimed, "That's great!  Who's getting married?"

"Uh…dunno," Heero muttered as he reread the letter several times.

"What do you mean, 'dunno'?"

"I mean, 'dunno'!  It doesn't say," he said, handing her the letter.

"Hmm, you're right," she said as she read it and handed it back to him.

"Probably Quatre…Trowa…or maybe Wu Fei.  I really couldn't imagine Duo getting married…" Heero said softly.  "I suppose I'll call Quatre tonight and ask him about the details."

Nida hugged his neck gently and smirked, "I'm so lucky you're so smart."

"Nida, it's common knowledge and courtesy to call about unspecified details."

"Shut up…."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Heero!" Quatre said, surprised, as he answered the vidphone.  He looked a little weary, though.

"Hn, it's been a long time," Heero said, secretly very happy about seeing Quatre again.

"Oh yeah!" Quatre beamed, the fine lines around his eyes and cheeks vanishing.  "It's been a while!"

"You don't look too good, Quatre," he stated bluntly as he stared at Quatre's image on the screen.  "Do you need sleep?"

"Oh gee, thanks," Quatre laughed in sarcasm.  "Ugh, I'm sorry.  I haven't slept a wink…it's just that Duo is intent on spending every last dollar I have for the wedding…."

"Oh, about that…I received a letter from Duo inviting us to a wedding."

"From Trowa, too."

"…Well it was in Duo's handwriting," Heero stated, bringing out the letter in front of him.

"What?" Quatre asked, his attention off the screen.  "Oh yes, Trowa licked the envelope shut, so it's from him, too."

"Lovely to know…" he muttered, putting the letter down.  "Why didn't Duo send it electronically, though?"

Quatre just shrugged and once again, his attention was off the screen.  "He thought it'd be more personal," he answered.

"Oh…who all is there?"

"Just Trowa.  Duo's off bitching at a florist…" Quatre muttered.

Heero heard Trowa add, "And we've sent Wu Fei off to do some impossible and meaningless task to get him out of the way."

"Oh," Heero muttered, feeling vaguely left out.  "Am I just invited…or can I bring a date?"

"Ooh, I know!" Quatre said with a sly smile.  "You want to bring Relena as your date!"

"Who's Relena?" Nida asked, coming into the room.

"Nobody…" Heero muttered.  "…Quatre, Trowa, this is my girlfriend, Nida."  He brought her closer to him so they could see her in the screen.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you," Quatre said politely.  "I'm Quatre Raberba Winner, and this is Trowa Barton."  He dragged Trowa to the screen.

Trowa just nodded and escaped to go back to what he was doing.

"So…you two will be coming to the wedding," he muttered, the fine lines around his eyes and cheeks returning.

"We hope to," Nida smiled as she backed out of the view and left the room.

"When is it?  Duo left all the details out of his letter."

"That's because he wanted Mr. Social to call him," Heero heard Trowa say.

"But he's gone, so I guess I'll tell you.  It's less than a month away on March 1.  Other guests are arriving the day of and the day before the wedding, but Duo would really appreciate it if you could schedule coming in the week before and staying a couple of days after," Quatre explained.

"Then we'll plan on doing that," Heero nodded.  "I have a question, though.  Duo never specified _who_ was getting married."

Quatre smiled broadly and said, "Duo wants to tell you that personally."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

February 24th, Heero and Nida boarded a shuttle to New York City on earth.

"Why are we going to New York?" Nida asked as she looked out the window at the endless space.

"…Because that's where the wedding's at."

"No, I mean, why is the wedding in New York?  I mean, does it hold a special significance?" she asked, poking his arm.

Heero grabbed her finger and held it.  "I really don't know.  Don't pester me anymore or I'll be crankier than I already am…."

She snickered, "I didn't think that could happen!"

Heero leaned over to kiss her cheek and muttered, "You're not going to survive all the way there…." He leaned back in his seat and began to wish that he had a chance to speak to Duo before arriving there.  At least, then he would know who's getting married and if the gift he got them, a microwave, was suitable enough.

He had the feeling, though, that Duo was the one getting married.  To voice his opinion, he stated softly, "I think Duo's getting married to Quatre."

"Really?  You think so?  Think he's getting married to a guy?" she asked.

"…I can almost guarantee you that Duo would refuse to marry anyone outside our tight group," Heero smirked.  "It's all about the team, you know."

Nida shrugged and smiled.  "Well, when you put it that way…I think Trowa and Quatre are pretty good candidates."

Heero nodded and muttered, "True, that could very well be right."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Heero!" Quatre exclaimed as he greeted them at the shuttle port with Trowa and Wu Fei.  "Allah, how long has it _been_?"

He's not here… 

"Just about a year and a half," Heero muttered, holding his bags with one hand.  He removed his hand from Nida's back and shook Quatre's hand, along with Trowa's and Wu Fei's shortly after.  "Everyone, this is Nida, my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Wu Fei asked, mildly surprised, crossing his arms.  "I didn't know you had one, Yuy."

Heero simply shrugged as Nida smiled warmly and said, "Hi," shaking everyone's hand except Quatre's, which managed to avoid the handshake.

"Nida, you met Quatre and Trowa on the vidphone…this is Wu Fei," he said, introducing her to his Chinese friend.

"Oh…hello…Nida," Wu Fei muttered, shaking her hand.  "…Nice to meet you."

"You, too," she smiled again.  "Wu Fei, was it?"

He simply nodded.

Getting directly to the point, Heero asked, "So…where's Duo?"

"Well…see, Duo doesn't know you're coming today…." Wu Fei said slyly.  "It's a surprise."

"He thinks you're coming on the 26th," Trowa added with a slight smirk.

"Yeah…he was bitching because it was three days before the wedding," Wu Fei smirked.

"We told him we were going to the store for a little while…" Quatre smiled, beaming at Heero.  "Duo's going to be _so_ happy when we bring you back!"

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Opening the unlocked apartment door, Trowa called out softly, "We're back."  He let everyone in before closing the door behind him.  "Duo?"

"In here, Tro," Duo said, from the back bedroom, sounding a little busy.  There was a rustling of papers.

"Stay here," Quatre instructed Heero and Nida quietly as they left them in the living room, straying off to see what Duo was up to.

"Ah ha!" they heard Duo suddenly blurt out as there was a thump and Wu Fei protesting.  "It is _so_ your color, Wuffie!"

"I'm _not_ wearing a corsage, dammit!" Wu Fei protested loudly as Quatre giggled.

"Oh come on.  It looks good on you," Trowa teased.

"NO!"

They heard Duo laugh and say, "Hey, at least I tried.  So, where'd you guys go?"

"To the grocery store," Trowa replied.  "We've got some really heavy bags that we need help carrying in.  Can you help us?"

"Aa, I guess I can muster enough energy to use my superior strength…" Duo laughed as he was led into the living room by the three.  His face went pale when he saw Heero accompanied by a girl.  "HEERO!" he exclaimed excitedly as he rushed up and practically tackled his friend.

Heero briefly hugged Duo back and said, "…Duo!"

"A Heero was on sale for 79 cents at the store," Wu Fei smirked.  "We just had to get him for you."

"Buy one get one free…." Quatre muttered, giving a faint smirk.

Trowa winked at Quatre and teased, "Fifty percent off each."

"Buy one get one free!" Quatre insisted.

"What…who's this chick?" Duo asked with a perplexed look on his face as he saw the girl accompanying Heero.

"Duo, this is my girlfriend, Nida," Heero explained as he introduced them.  "Nida, this is my friend, Duo."

"I've heard a lot about you," she smiled warmly as she shook Duo's hand.

"…Man, I've heard absolutely _nothing_ about you…but that's okay!" he said cheerfully, shaking her hand back.  "So…you two will be attending the wedding?"

Both Heero and Nida nodded as Heero asked, "About that…I still don't know who's getting married.  Quatre said you wanted to tell me yourself…."

Duo gave a sly smirk and said, "I am."

Heero nodded and said, "Before, I never thought you would be the one to get married…but now it makes a little sense….  Just whom are you getting married to, though?"

Grinning broadly with his eyes shining, Duo answered, "Trowa."

"Trowa?" Heero asked in surprise.  _When I last saw them…they fought _constantly_…now, they're getting married?_

Both Duo and Trowa nodded, Duo stating, "Yeah, he's a quiet little clown, but he's _my_ quiet little clown."

"I…I'm sorry, I just never thought that you two would get married.  I thought you two were the most _unlikely_ to marry to each other…" Heero said bluntly.

"Well, we have my stubbornness, Trowa's common sense, and you to thank for that," Duo replied, smiling with a wink.

"…Me?"

"Yeah," Duo shrugged, explaining.  "After that last battle all of us fought together in, we started to fight, but some things…happened…and here we are."

"Oh…" Heero said softly, not quite understanding everything.  He knew Duo knew that, though.

"Oh, that's great you two resolved your differences and decided to become a couple!" Nida said, her eyes sparkling with romance.

"It was more than differences, believe me…" Heero muttered.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Aa, gosh!  What have you been _doing_?" Duo interrogated as he sat Heero down on the couch, them finally alone with Quatre and Trowa finishing the little handmade corsages Duo started and Wu Fei off distracting Nida.

"…Living," Heero shrugged as Duo sat next to him.  "…Do you guys live here in New York?"

Duo nodded and said, "Yeah, Trowa and I recently moved here.  Quatre still lives on L4, though, but Wu Fei migrates back and forth between us.  What about you?"

"L1," he stated simply.  He was about to say more, but Duo beat him.

"What about Nida?  How did you meet her?" Duo asked eagerly, changing the subject.

Heero looked away and muttered, "…She's the one that took care of me when I left you guys…."

"…And you're just stuck with her?" Duo asked, looking into Heero's eyes, reading them quickly.

Duo's penetrating gaze made him uncomfortable.  That was a bad thing about his friend and Trowa being together – Duo was getting rather good at reading eyes.  "Sort of," Heero responded.

"…You don't sound like you're happy."

"What?  I'm happy!" Heero said, becoming defensive.  "I'm as happy as I ever was and I'm as happy as I'll ever be!"

"Okay…" Duo said doubtfully.

"So…what about you and Trowa…I still don't understand…."

Duo smiled and played with the end of his braid.  "You know how Trowa and I always fought?"

"Yeah.  Whenever you two had a reason, you were constantly at it.  I thought you hated each other," Heero answered.

"I…I thought we did, too.  Every time I saw him, I just had an intense emotional reaction that always caused me to fight with him so much.  I thought it was hate…still, I'm not really sure if it was hate or love, but the emotion was strong and passionate just the same," Duo explained, using his hands to gesture.

Heero tilted his head and muttered, "Interesting…."

Duo smiled and shrugged.  "That's just how it felt for me."

"I understand," Heero nodded.  "Go on."

"It seems like yesterday at times….  That last battle we had as a team…well…after you left, Trowa and I started fighting about it and basically, whose fault it was that you and Wu Fei were hospitalized.  Quatre was just off sulking, blaming himself as usual, so it was just us two.  When we were fighting, Trowa said something that really got me mad and I went to punch him, but he caught my wrist.  It kind of felt like an electrical charge…and next thing we knew, we were on the floor…" he trailed off.

"…And you were together ever since?"

Duo laughed and shook his head.  "No, I still didn't think it was love, so I considered it a one-night-stand or something like that.  We ended up having an on-again, off-again relationship for about four months until I realized that I wanted to go steady for a little while with him.  Trowa wanted it to be casual, but as the months went by, we happened to find ourselves in a serious relationship with each other.  I popped the question to him a couple of months ago…of course, he said yes.  _Now_ I get to the point where I can say we've been together ever since."

"That's a nice story…" Heero said honestly.  "It actually makes a little sense…."

He laughed again and admitted, "Sometimes it doesn't make sense to me….  So, are you ever going to ask Nida to marry you someday?"

Heero just looked at Duo and answered slowly, "…I haven't gotten that far yet."

Duo smirked and asked, "Picture yourself a year from now.  Is she there?"

"…Not really…" Heero admitted, a little guiltily.  "Can you picture yourself with Trowa a year from now?"

"Definitely," Duo replied as he smiled.  "I'm afraid I'm getting to the point where I can't imagine my life without him."

"Four days to the wedding, huh…." Heero muttered, changing the subject.

"Yep," Duo smiled.  "Ugh, I've been so busy with everything…I don't think I can recall ever being this busy in my life!  …Hey, I meant to ask you…would you, um…could you be the best man in our wedding?  It would mean a lot to me."

Nodding, he said, "Of course."

"Aa thanks!  I'm so happy!" Duo exclaimed as he hugged Heero and ran off to tell Trowa about their new best man.

Heero chuckled and was genuinely happy for his two friends.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

'_Picture yourself a year from now.  Is she there?_'

'_…Not really…_'

Heero tossed around, not being able to get into a comfortable position.  He felt guilty saying those words that previous day.  _…Not really…_  That was a lie, right?  He could _definitely_ picture himself with Nida, right?

_Wrong_, he thought sourly.  He knew he never said things he didn't mean.  "Hey, Nida," he muttered, not knowing if she'd still be asleep.

"Mmf?" she slurred groggily.  "It's four in the morning…_what_?"

"…Picture yourself a year from now.  What do you see?" Heero asked, turning over to face her.

Nida looked at him in disgust and spat out, "You wake me up at some godforsaken hour just to ask me a stupid question like that?"

Turning back over, he muttered bitterly, "_Sorry_."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was February 26th and three more days to the wedding.  The previous day, Heero hadn't gotten to see Duo or Trowa at all since Quatre and Wu Fei took the two to sightsee New York.  It was a beautiful city, but still.

Today, Nida went with Wu Fei and Trowa to see the Rockefeller Center while Quatre was off somewhere.

Duo had come over to the hotel Heero and Nida were staying at and was now sitting on his bed, nervous about something.

"…What's on your mind?" Heero asked as he sat beside his friend.

"I can't do it," Duo blurted out.

"…Do what?" Heero asked cautiously, fearing the worst.

"I…I…I can't marry Trowa!"

He knew it was the jitters, or at least, that's what he hoped.  "Duo…you're just getting nervous and excited thinking about marrying him.  Don't think about it anymore…just do it."

"But I can't!  I…I think this is a mistake," Duo muttered, playing with the end of his braid.

"How so?" Heero asked, hoping to talk Duo out of his nervousness.  He couldn't just sit there and let his best friend contemplate what may be the biggest mistake of his life.

"I don't know if I'm ready to marry him yet…."

"You'll be fine.  You're just having the jitters, that's all," he reassured calmly.

"Trowa and I got off to a rocky start and it's always been rocky ever since…I just don't know if we're right for each other," he sighed, burying his head in his hands.  "I mean, there's the whole world out there full of more perfect people for me than Trowa.  You were right, Heero.  Trowa and I are most _unlikely_ to get married, and here we are trying to do it!"

"…Give it some time before you make a rash decision," Heero advised.  "Talk to Trowa about it if you can.  Just don't do anything you might regret, Duo."

"…Ever since you left, my whole life's turned upside-down," Duo began softly.  "I mean, for God's sake, I'm in a relationship with and about to get married to Trowa!"

_I don't like where this is going…_ he thought bitterly to himself.

"…Since you've come back, though…it just seems like everything's falling into place.  I…I don't think I should be in a relationship with _Trowa_…."

"Duo…" Heero warned, but was silenced when Duo's lips pressed against his in a kiss.  Quickly breaking it, Heero muttered, "…I have Nida and you have Trowa…."

"You don't love Nida, Heero," Duo stated, taking Heero's hand.  "You yourself said you couldn't see the two of you together in your future.  I've seen the way you act towards her.  You try to, but you just _don't_."

Heero's eyes were downcast as he muttered, "…I know."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Heero saw how Duo was distant with Trowa that evening and his heart panged.  _I shouldn't have been with him like that…_ he thought darkly.  _Dammit…_  He hated betraying Trowa like that…but what else could he have done?  He was a sucker for Duo's charm and he knew it – and when Duo began to advance on him, it was all over….

"Heero!  Hey, what's with you?" Quatre asked, waving a hand in front of Heero's face.  "You seem so dazed."

"I…I'm sorry," Heero apologized quickly.  If _anyone_ would know how Heero sinned against Trowa just by studying him, it was Quatre.  _Shit_.

"No, it's all right," Quatre smiled warmly.  "…Where's Nida?"

Heero shrugged and said, "Off at the hotel, I suppose.  I really have no idea…."

"…What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Heero said quickly, trying to avoid making eye contact with Quatre.  If he found out, he _knew_ Quatre would _immediately_ tell Trowa.  "Uh…where's Wu Fei?"

Quatre shrugged and said, "He mentioned something about a Chinese place he saw while touring New York with Trowa and Nida…."

He saw Duo abruptly walk away from Trowa in the middle of a conversation and he hated it.  Heero hated being the one breaking his friends apart.

"…Heero…" Trowa asked softly.

Heero looked up and found himself looking into Trowa's eyes.  _Dammit…_  He quickly looked away nonchalantly and replied, "Yes?"

"…Do you know what's up with Duo?  He seems a little…preoccupied with something…."

"I have no idea," Heero answered quickly.  He was lying through his teeth and he knew it.

"Oh…all right…" Trowa muttered as he walked off into another room.

"…What's wrong with Duo?" Quatre asked, missing the whole lot of the conversation.

"…We don't know," he lied again.  _How many people must I lie to…?_

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was February 27th…only two more days until the wedding, and Heero was the most nervous of them all.

He had spent the entire day avoiding Quatre, Nida, Duo, and Trowa, though avoiding Duo proved to be too much for him and he gave into the temptation once again.  Heero found himself alone in his hotel room, not knowing where Nida was.  When he heard a knock on the door, he assumed and hoped that it was Nida, but had the feeling it was Duo.

"Come in."

Worse.  Trowa.

"Trowa…" he muttered as he rose off the bed.

"Hey, Heero," Trowa smiled amicably, showing no sign that he was a little bit angry with Heero…or even knew.

_And I was _sure_ Quatre knew…_

"Hey…two days until the big day, right?" he asked, trying to make small talk.  Wrong topic, though….

"…Yeah…about that…." Trowa muttered, his eyes downcast as he walked up to Heero.

Growing a little bit tense, Heero found it impossible that the air was actually breathable in the room considering he had a very hard time breathing it.  "…Yeah?"

"…This has just gone on long enough….  I really don't think we should get married…I haven't found a way to tell Duo, yet, though.  I mean, I only said yes to be polite and I've let him fulfill his little dream of a fantasy wedding…" Trowa muttered.

Heero couldn't believe his ears.  "_What?_"

"Look, I know he's your best friend and all…but I just can't do this.  I…I feel _guilty_…and I probably should have said so in the start…but I just didn't want to hurt his feelings…."

"…Trowa!" Heero said in shock.  He had _no_ idea Trowa felt this way….

"What I'm trying to say is…I just don't…feel the same way about Duo as he does me.  There's always been…someone else…" Trowa muttered, glancing briefly at Heero.

"Someone else?" Heero asked, feeling somewhat betrayed on behalf of Duo.  _How can he _do_ this?  Duo _– "

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt warm, moist lips press against his own and cold hands cup his face.  As Heero was leaned back onto the bed, he heard Trowa mutter, "…You."

Another lie.  Another sin.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was February 28th…the wedding was just the day after.  So soon and so unstable.

Heero sat on the couch next to Quatre and Wu Fei, thinking about everything that had happened.  He had betrayed Duo, Trowa, Nida, and himself.  He had sinned so many times with Duo and Trowa.  He lied constantly to Trowa, Duo, himself, and Nida, especially.

"Where will it all end?" he muttered in his personal angst.  He never wanted to be the one to break them all apart.  He never wanted to be anything more than just a friend.

"…What?" Quatre asked, hearing Heero mutter something under his breath.

Briefly glancing at Quatre, he muttered, "Nothing…."

Wu Fei rolled his eyes and scoffed.  "Dammit, what's with everyone these last couple of days?  It's everyone!  You, Quatre, Duo, Trowa, Nida…geez!"

"…Nida?" Heero asked.  _Shit…I haven't even paid enough attention to her…I've completely blown her off…_

"Yeah, she…aw, forget it," Wu Fei said, dismissing the topic with a hand gesture.

"We've just been a little preoccupied with the wedding, that's all," Trowa said softly, sitting in his chair by the couch.

"…Hn," Heero said as he saw Duo walk into the room.

Looking a little upset, Duo sat down in the chair opposite of Trowa's and began, "Um…I have something to say…."

Heero knew what it was.  The exact same thing he had told him…and Trowa would add with his…and the blame would magically be placed on _his_ shoulders for some reason…great.

"I don't think I can marry you, Trowa," Duo said abruptly, playing with his braid again.  Heero noticed he only did it when he was nervous.  He had a right to be nervous.

"What?" Trowa asked in genuine puzzlement.

"I can't marry you."

"…_Why?_" Trowa asked, shocked and hurt.

_You'd figure he wouldn't be…_ Heero thought, a little confused.

"I…I can't believe this…" Quatre muttered, putting his face in his hands.

"…The hell?" Wu Fei asked.

"Because…I don't think I'm really ready to settle down now.  I…I'm sorry, Heero…but you made me realize that I'm just not ready to commit to one person yet…." Duo explained, wrapping the tip of his braid around his fingers.  "I also have a confession…in trying to figure this out, I had sex with Heero a couple of times….  I'm really sorry, Trowa…."

"I knew about you and Heero," Trowa said sharply, obviously hurt.  "That's why I went out to do him myself."

"_What?_" Duo exclaimed, abruptly standing up.  The shocked look on his face indicated he was hurt.

"Yeah, I went out and had sex with Heero, also, just to spite you," Trowa spat out bitterly.

"How could you?!" Duo exclaimed, upset.

"How could _I_?!  You dare to ask me how _I_ could do a thing like that?!" Trowa yelled, swiftly standing up.

Duo's mouth opened to retort, but closed…opening once again, but then closing.  He sat back down in his chair bitterly.

Trowa followed suit and sat back down, continuing, "But why should it bother _you_ if _I have an affair with someone since __you're not ready to commit to one person?"_

Duo crossed his arms and looked away miserably.

"…Duo…" Quatre began, "you were always faithful and committed yourself to one person when you two were dating.  You had plenty of opportunities to go out with other people, to have affairs, but you never took it.  You always committed yourself to Trowa no matter what.  What makes you think being married will change that?"

"He's afraid of losing his freedom," Wu Fei stated, looking at Duo, who refused to look at anyone.

"…Duo…you didn't love me.  That was quite obvious to me by your actions.  It was the jitters, like I said – you were afraid of losing your freedom, so you sought it out in me – but you've always had your freedom, Duo," Heero said, looking Duo directly in the eyes.

Looking down and nodding, Duo muttered, "Yeah…I know…I'm sorry…."

"Look, I…I'm sorry, Heero…I was just jealous…and…if I hurt you," Trowa muttered.  "I lied, I cheated…and I offer my apologies…."

Heero nodded at both of their apologies.  Feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked into Quatre's soft eyes.

Quatre nodded to Heero and shifted his focus to Duo and Trowa.  "Duo, do you love Trowa?" he asked softly.

Duo's eyes quickly flew to his blond friend's and he poured out, "Yes.  I love him _so much…more than anything in the world, Quatre.  I do.  I really, really do love him."_

"I love you, too, Duo," Trowa said softly as Duo's eyes flew to his and they locked.

"You love each other, so you should have no reason to seek out others," Quatre said.

"…You're right," Duo admitted as Trowa nodded.  "So…is the wedding still on?"

Trowa looked at Duo and smiled.  "Yeah, koi.  The wedding's still on."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

'_You love each other, so you should have no reason to seek out others.'_

"So, anything new happen?" Nida asked as she joined Heero in bed.

Although Heero had lied enough to her, she could stand one more lie.  "No."

_Do I love her? Heero asked himself as he turned off the light.  He rolled over and embraced Nida in his arms.  When she sighed and began to kiss him, Heero knew._

_No._

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was March 1st already…the day of the wedding.

"…I'm so nervous…" Duo began weakly as he looked at himself in the mirror with Heero in the backroom of the chapel.  "I mean, what if he doesn't say I do?  After all, I did cheat on him with you, so he really has no reason to marry me…."

"Duo…" Heero muttered as he drew him close.  "…You think too much.  Trowa loves you and as long as the two of you continue to love each other, everything will be fine."

Smiling, Duo hugged his friend and said softly, "…Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Heero said as Duo let go of him and studied himself in the mirror.

"…Do I really look okay?"

"You look just fine," Heero rolled his eyes, growing tired of Duo's constant assessment of himself.

"Really?  You think so?" Duo asked, looking back at Heero with large eyes.

"Yes, now get out there and marry Trowa.  Give me one more insecurity of yours and I swear I'll impale you with a flower bouquet," Heero said, half joking and half serious.

"Ooh, carnations.  My favorite," Duo winked as they left the backroom.

"So, you ready?" Wu Fei immediately asked Duo, waiting for them in the hall.  "I am."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Duo said as he gave a smile.  "This is as ready as I get…." He turned to Heero and joked, "Ready to see us be married by the Love Master Extraordinaire, Keeper of his Nataku-ness?"

"Oh, is _that my new title?" Wu Fei mused as he smirked._

"…You're being married by _Wu Fei?" Heero asked in slight shock.  __Uh…_

"Yeah, as soon as I heard they were getting married, I went out and became certified to perform weddings…" Wu Fei stated, smirking at Duo.

"Duo just found out about this last night," Quatre chuckled, approaching from another backroom.

Smiling, he grabbed Wu Fei's arm and said, "Should we head up to the altar now?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Wu Fei smirked as they went off down the hall, poking fun at each other.

"…Is Trowa already up at the altar?" Heero asked, leaning against the wall.

"No…Catherine is calming him down in the other backroom right now…" Quatre snickered.  "He's being a little neurotic, but he'll be fine in a couple of minutes."

"Hn…Duo was giving me all these insecurities, but he calmed down after I talked to him a little," Heero stated.  "He seems to be okay…just needing a little reassuring, that's all."

Quatre laughed and said, "I wish I could say the same about Trowa.  He's being insecure about the whole fact that you and Duo were together and he's afraid that Duo doesn't really want to marry him, despite what he said yesterday.  …I think I wasn't much help, though, telling him to just shut up and marry him."

Heero shook his head and mused, "Why can't they put their insecurities aside and just realize that they love each other too much to throw their relationship away?"

Leaning on the wall beside Heero, Quatre said softly, looking into Heero's eyes, "I guess they're just afraid of losing each other.  Either way…they're going to be fine."

Nodding, Heero agreed.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Heero was relieved when it was finally over.  They had said 'I do' to each other with full confidence in their voices.

He was talking to Wu Fei about the wedding as the grooms were being showered with various forms of congratulations from their friends attending the wedding.  Nida and Quatre approaching him and Wu Fei, she wiping a tear from her eye.

"Oh, I love weddings," Nida sighed, her eyes shining with shed and unshed tears.

Wu Fei inconspicuously rolled his eyes and muttered, "Onna…"

"That _was a nice one, though," Quatre said, smiling.  "Everything looked __nice, right?"_

Heero nodded, "Yeah.  It was very nice."

"Good," Quatre breathed a sigh in relief, "because it sure was expensive."

Wu Fei laughed as Quatre sputtered something out to him about the expenses of the wedding.

"Oh, I never thought I'd see the day when my little Trowa got married," Catherine sighed as she approached their group.  She had been the maid of honor in the wedding.  "It's been a little while since I've seen everyone, hasn't it?"

They nodded as Catherine picked Nida out.  "I haven't seen _you before."_

"I'm Heero's girlfriend, Nida," she explained, shaking Catherine's hand.

Immediately, Catherine withdrew her hand.  "Oh," she said in a serious tone, glancing at Quatre.

"Oh, Catherine!  I need to show you the flower arrangements we picked out, did you see them?" Quatre asked, whisking her away.

Nida looked at Heero with puzzlement in her eyes.

He simply shrugged.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"The after party is the best part of getting married, I've concluded," Duo joked as he sat at the front table next to Trowa and Heero.  On the other side of Trowa was Catherine.

Trowa smirked and said, "I thought it was the wedding night."

Duo laughed and kissed him, saying, "We'll make that conclusion when we get there, koi."

Walking up to the front table with a small flute of champagne, Hilde greeted, "Duo!  It was such a beautiful wedding…I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Thanks, Hilde!" Duo smiled at her warmly.  "You _really have to visit us one of these days.  New York is full of opportunity, it would be great if you could move here!"_

"Or she _could stay where she is on L2…." Trowa protested subtly._

Lightheartedly, she laughed, "Nah, I think I'll pass on moving to New York, Duo.  Trowa's got enough on his hands with just you!"

"If _I were to move in with you guys, __Hilde could live here, too," Catherine smirked, poking her brother.  "Then I could take care of __all of you!"_

"Or not," Trowa muttered, drinking more champagne.

Heero chuckled, listening to them and turned to Wu Fei beside him.  "I admit, I didn't think the whole them-getting-married thing would work…."

"Well…when you see them together and see how much they love each other, you know it works, no matter how many times they fight," Wu Fei said, taking another sip of his champagne.

Heero nodded and smiled, "Yeah…I know."

"…What about you and Nida…what's going to happen with your relationship…?" Wu Fei asked seriously.

"…Nothing I suppose…why?"

Wu Fei rolled his eyes and said, "It's quite obvious to her and everyone else that you don't love her, and her love for you has been waning ever since you two got here."

"…What?" Heero asked, hearing this for the first time.  "I…I thought she loved me."

Wu Fei shook his head and muttered, "Not really anymore.  I've been forced to spend some time with her…we've been talking.  She's doesn't think that you two are right for each other."

Sighing, Heero agreed, "…Neither do I…but…why is her love for me fading?"

He looked at him for a little while and finally looked away, saying softly, "…Quatre."

"W-what?  Why?  What does Quatre have to do with this?" Heero demanded as he clutched his flute of champagne.

"As you can tell…Quatre doesn't like her…and he's been bitching about her to just about everyone," he continued, sighing.

"What?  …Why?" Heero asked softly, looking at Wu Fei for some kind of answer.

"…He's hurt."

"Why is he hurt?  What did I or she ever do to him?" Heero asked, puzzled and frustrated.  _Quatre…why…?_

"Quatre would absolutely kill me if he knew I told you, but…he's in love with you and always has been," Wu Fei confessed, his eyes gazing upon Quatre in the midst of the tables, talking sociably with Noin.

Heero said nothing but sat there in silence, gazing at Quatre, trying to sort out his thoughts.  _Quatre had always been cold to Nida…he always warmed up to me…of course.  How could I not have seen it?  But…Nida…Quatre…dammit…  I don't love Nida, so does that give me the freedom to love Quatre?  …But I don't even love Quatre…of course I've never been close to Quatre…I just…  He sighed, his thoughts and emotions getting tangled up inside.  Emotions like that never surfaced – they just sat there…jumbled up together, longing to be free, but never able to move anywhere._

A fork chimed on the glass as Duo tried to get everyone's attention.  "Uh…Hilde's been pressing us, so we're going to open up all the wonderful gifts you've brought us!"

Heero looked at the pile of wrapped gifts in the corner of the room – there were dozens of them and they were all fairly big.

Leaning over to whisper in his ear, Wu Fei asked, "I got them a microwave.  What did you get them?"

"Uh…a microwave," Heero muttered quietly to him, burying his face in his hands.

Wu Fei snickered, "I suppose it's just as well considering when they start to cook…."

"Who's this one from?" Duo asked Catherine as she brought the first gift to the table.

"Quatre," she said as he beamed from the table.

Watching Duo and Trowa unwrap it, both Heero and Wu Fei paled.

A microwave.

"Oh!  This is great!  We needed one!" Duo exclaimed.  "Thanks man!"

Unwrapping another present from Hilde, who was looking a little uncomfortable, they found…a microwave.

"Uh…hey, we have two!  This is cool, in case we break one cooking…." Duo laughed.

They unwrapped Heero's present…a microwave…and Wu Fei's present…another microwave.

"Uh, this is kind of neat, right?  I mean, we'll be able to make different stuff at the same time!" Duo said, trying to look as thrilled as he did before.

Forty-some microwaves later….

"Duo and Trowa's Microwave Heaven," Duo said, trying to envision the name of a store they could open up.

"If anyone needs a microwave, please, help yourself," Trowa advertised.

While Wu Fei was over poking fun at Sally for her excellent gift choice, Nida sat in his seat.

"…Enjoying yourself?" Heero asked as he tried to make small talk.  He knew she wasn't though.  She was at Quatre, Hilde, Howard, Zechs, and Noin's table and from what he could see she looked miserable.

"…No, not really, but that's okay," she stated, trying to be cheerful.  "…It's getting kind of late…should we head back to the hotel?"

Heero just shrugged.  "You can if you want.  I think it would only be appropriate if I stay, though."

"Yeah, you're right.  So…I'll see you at the hotel later?" she asked as she rose up.

Heero nodded; secretly relieved she was going to be leaving.  _It'll give me a chance to talk with Quatre…  As he watched her leave, Quatre immediately took the vacant seat beside him.  "Aa this party is great!" he smiled broadly._

"Yeah, it's better than I expected it to be," Heero said honestly, smiling back.

"…The food taste okay?" Quatre asked, looking at Heero's half-eaten steak.

"Yeah…I'm just not hungry right now…."

"…Well, I'm glad that it's okay.  It was _really expensive, but you know Duo…he just __had to have steak…" Quatre laughed._

"It's really nice of you to pay for their wedding like that," Heero said softly, poking at the half-eaten steak with his fork.

Quatre gave him a warm smile and said softly, "…That's what friends are for, right?  Besides, they don't have a lot of money, and I do, so…."

"…That's really nice of you," Heero muttered, impressed that Quatre was that selfless to give his money to Duo, the spendthrift, to pay for his wedding.

"Well…" Quatre sighed and then he shrugged.  "It's no big deal….  How about those microwaves?  I was _so embarrassed when they opened Hilde's present and so was she.  Now though, I don't feel that embarrassed, but still."_

"Only on Duo's wedding…" Heero mused, chuckling softly.

"Yeah," Quatre smiled.  "They look so happy together…."

Looking to Duo who was cuddling Trowa and explaining his newfound dream of a microwave shop to him, Heero smiled.  "Yeah, they do…even though Trowa's not too thrilled about all the microwaves…."

"…There are so many things they could do with those!" Quatre exclaimed.  "I mean they could seriously open up a store with that many microwaves!  …It would be really nice to give them to charity, though."

"That would be really nice…and selfless…just like you," Heero smiled softly.  _Am I actually flirting with Quatre?  He felt somewhat guilty, but at the same time, he felt vaguely free._

"Well…I don't know if it would be selfless," Quatre said, blushing slightly.  "I mean Trowa _does want to get rid of them…."_

"The meaning's still there just the same," Heero shrugged, looking back to the new couple.  _They do__ look happy…_

The two of them were saying their goodbyes to Zechs, Noin, Une, and Mariemeia who decided to leave.

"Hn, it's just Hilde, Catherine, Sally, Howard, and us now," Heero mused, looking the place over.  "Everyone else has left."

"…Did you notice that there were a lot of people here we didn't know?" Quatre asked, mildly disturbed.

Heero nodded and said, "Yeah.  I suppose they're friends from the city and Trowa's circus friends also…."

"I don't know…it just…kind of bothered me…" Quatre muttered, looking away.  "The five of us aren't as close as we used to be…well, except Duo and Trowa…they're closer than they were, but you know what I mean."

"We're all finding new friends and living separate lives," Heero nodded.  "Yeah, I know."

"I'm on L4 and I know I have a lot of friends over there…Wu Fei's just all over the place and I _know he has a __lot of friends from just about everywhere…and Duo and Trowa have friends from work and new friends from the city…you're on L1 and I bet you have a lot of friends there…" Quatre muttered.  "I liked it when we just had each other."_

"…Yeah, that was nice…but times change…" Heero said, understanding where Quatre was coming from.  "I promise, though, to keep in better contact with you guys, though."

"Really?" Quatre asked, looking back to him with shining eyes.  "You mean that?"

Heero nodded.

Quatre seemed a little lost for words so he said nothing, his smile conveying everything.

"Hey," Duo announced, "we're going to go up to the hotel room and continue the little party there.  Everyone's welcome to come!"

"That's our calling," Quatre laughed as he rose up from the seat.  He helped Heero up and put a hand on his shoulder.  "It'll be nice having a little gathering where we know everyone."

Heero nodded and said, "Yeah…it will."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Duo and Trowa sat on the bed in the hotel room while Howard and Quatre sat in the two chairs and Hilde, Catherine, Sally, Wu Fei, and Heero sat on the floor.

"You two make such a great couple," Howard went on after reminiscing about how much of a pain Duo was in his earlier years.

"Of course," Duo laughed.

"No, I'm serious!"

"Yeah, I know!" he continued laughing.

Catherine abruptly brought up a question that apparently had been on her mind.  "Are you two going to adopt in a couple of years?"

Heero understood why.  _Catherine, the protective maternal figure… he mused._

"What?" Trowa chuckled.  "What do you mean adopt?  It's going to be a pain enough taking care of Duo!   I don't need another kid!"

"Hey!" Duo laughed as he snatched a pillow and smacked Trowa with it.  Trowa held onto the pillow, though, and brought Duo close, kissing him.

Catherine just laughed and explained, "I just miss taking care of my Trowa so much!"

"You can come over and take care of _me," Howard winked._

She continued to laugh and declined politely.

"So, how's the salvaging business going?" Sally asked Hilde, curious as to how that was holding up without Duo.

"Oh it's doing great!  Not as good as when Duo was there, of course," she smiled.  "But I think I'm doing a really good job, right Duo?"

Duo and Trowa continued to make out on the bed.

"Right, Hilde," she said out of the corner of her mouth, substituting Duo's voice.

Sally laughed and said, "That's good.  How's the family business going, Quatre?"

"Huh?  What?" Quatre asked, being brought out of his thoughts.

"What, are you advertising for a job?" Wu Fei smirked and poked Sally.

Sally poked him back and snickered, "No, but _you might be if you tease me anymore!"_

"Onna," Wu Fei teased as they continued poking each other.

Quatre chuckled and gazed off, lost in his thoughts again.

They heard soft moaning coming from the bed as Duo leaned Trowa back and climbed on top of him, kissing.

"Uh…it looks like the grooms are starting their wedding night a little early," Wu Fei advised, "so I think we should leave…."

Everyone snickered at the couple and left the room, closing the door behind them.

"So, which hotel are _you staying at?" Howard asked suggestively as he stood next to Catherine._

"Um, the Hilton…" Catherine said, completely missing the tone infliction in his voice.

"How about that?  So am I!" Howard exclaimed with a grand gesture.

"You are not, you old pervert," Hilde laughed.  "You're staying at the same hotel I am, which is _not the Hilton so you __can't follow Cathy back there!"_

Heero laughed along with everyone else as they said their goodbyes to one another.

"Actually, I'm staying at the Hilton with Cathy," Quatre said after everyone had agreed to meet tomorrow for brunch, except Sally, who had a flight back home in a couple of hours.  "Our rooms are adjacent to each other."

"Really…I think I'm staying at the same hotel as Howard and Hilde because I think I saw them there this morning," Heero said, just the two of them alone in the hall.

"Well…I can get you a room there if you want.  It's a really nice hotel," Quatre said quietly.

"No, it's okay…but thank you anyway," Heero declined politely.

"Oh…um…okay," Quatre muttered, "Uh, hey, would you like to get coffee or something?"

Looking back at Quatre, Heero agreed, "Yeah.  I'd like that."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was ten o'clock that morning when Nida woke Heero up.

"Did it really last that late?" she asked as she rolled him over.  "You came back at around four this morning."

"Mmf," Heero muttered.  "Was I really out that late?"

"Yeah," she said as she nodded.  "Oh, and Wu Fei called on the vidphone to remind you of a brunch in thirty minutes."

"Oh yeah…" Heero muttered as he struggled to sit up.  He barely remembered what went on last night.  He knew he had intended to go out with Quatre for some coffee, but they ended up back at his room at the Hilton.  _Great…how many times am I going to disgrace her?_

"Look, Nida," he said suddenly, wanting to get it off his chest.  "I…I really don't think we should see each other anymore."

Nida wore a sad expression, but she didn't cry.  "…I was wondering when you'd mention that."

"…You were?"

"Yeah…Heero, I know you don't love me anymore and I feel the same way you do," she began.  "This is just something that has to be.  All that's been happening here is a long goodbye."

 "I'm glad you're not upset…" Heero muttered, rubbing his face.

"No," she said, shaking her head.  "I'm not.  Just relieved that it doesn't have to go on any longer.  I know that Quatre's in love with you."

Heero nodded and said, "Yeah, I know.  That's who I was out so late with…."

"I figured as much."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"You are _such a perverted old man!" Catherine laughed as Howard tried yet __another move on her at the brunch._

"Just smack him, honey," Hilde laughed as she cut her omelet.

Heero looked at Duo and Trowa, who were informed about the brunch a little while ago, and said, "…Your first day as a married couple…."

Duo smiled at Heero as Trowa nodded.  "Yeah, and aside from being woken up too early by Quatre, it's been going really well!"

Wu Fei grinned mischievously.  "No one's asked this yet, but I can tell some of us want to….  How did your wedding _night go?"_

Trowa smirked as Duo laughed into his napkin, trying not to shower the table with an omelet.  "That's for us to know and you to…not…know…."

"Yeah, you were doing pretty good for a little while," Catherine laughed as she patted her brother's shoulder.

"I need to work on my sarcastic retorts," he chuckled, stabbing the omelet with a fork.

"Aww," Wu Fei snickered as he poked at his egg sandwich (he didn't really like omelets that much…).

"Poor perverted Wuffie," Quatre giggled, patting the top of his head.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you _all about it later," Duo whispered._

"You'll do no such thing," Trowa smirked as he kissed his cheek.

"I'm making a movie about it…" Duo joked as he kissed him back.

"Just like you're opening up Duo and Trowa's Microwave Heaven?"

"Yeah."

Underneath the table, Heero felt Quatre's hand on his knee.  Curiously, he looked at his blond friend and saw him blush under his gaze.  Gently, he put his own hand over Quatre's.

"Aw," Hilde whined next to Heero.  "Howard, our flight leaves in four hours…we need to leave soon…."

"And leave this _beautiful creature all alone?" Howard smiled as he took Catherine's hand._

Trowa looked from his sister to his new husband and smirked, "Duo will be fine without you, Howard."

"Hey!" Catherine laughed as she "lightly" punched Trowa's arm.

Howard and Hilde both laughed as they said their goodbyes to everyone and left the breakfast café.

"So…where's Nida?" Wu Fei asked Heero as he thought of the question.

"…Back at the hotel," Heero answered, glancing at Quatre.

"Oh…she still is sleeping?" Duo asked, _desperately wanting to go back to sleep himself…._

"No…" Heero muttered.  "…We broke up."

"What?" Catherine, Trowa, and Duo asked in surprise.

Wu Fei just nodded solemnly and Quatre looked down at his plate, overjoyed, but saying nothing.

"Yeah…it was mutual and really nice," Heero said, giving Quatre another glance.

Quatre turned a little red and his hand moved up to Heero's thigh.

"Not messy at all?" Wu Fei asked as to confirm.

Heero shook his head and said, "Nope.  Very clean cut and smooth."

"Oh…that's good," Catherine spoke out.

Duo and Trowa nodded as Duo changed the subject, "Man, why did you have to wake us up so _early Quatre?"_

"Well…I wanted you two to know that we were holding a brunch this morning!" Quatre smiled, his eyes lit up at the news of Heero's breakup.

"You were tired?" Wu Fei smirked.

"Oh yes, Wuffie, I was _exhausted," Duo teased, running his hand through Trowa's hair.  "And poor Tro…he could barely get out of bed, he was so wiped out!"_

"As I recall, _you were the only bitching because you could barely stand up in the shower because your legs ached so much…" Trowa smirked, playing with the end of Duo's braid._

"That's 'cause I wanted you to hold me while I was in there…" Duo grinned mischievously.

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah and that's the only reason why I'm not bitching about my legs _now…" Duo coughed, snickering._

"Okay!" Catherine laughed, hearing much more of her brother's love life than she wanted to, no matter _how nosy she was.  "Uh, I think it's time for me to leave."_

"Aw, we'll be good, we promise!" Duo protested as he hugged Trowa.

Catherine laughed and said, "No, really, I have to go.  My flight leaves pretty soon…so…."

"See you at Thanksgiving?" Duo asked.

"Thanksgiving?!" Trowa exclaimed.  "Christmas!"

Catherine laughed as she said goodbye to everyone.

After she left, Wu Fei stood up from his chair at the table and said, "I better leave.  I promised Sally I'd call her and tell her about what she missed, so she'll really be bitching at me if I don't."

"Hey…Wu Fei?" Heero asked, wondering….

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Sally dating?"

Wu Fei smirked and said truthfully, "Nah.  I just like to make fun of her, that's all."

"Oh…" he said.  _That's a new one…_

"Hey, see ya and talk to all of you later," Wu Fei said as he left to go back to his hotel room.

"You guys happy about being married?" Quatre asked softly as he smiled at the couple in front of him.

"You've got to be _blind, Quatre," Duo smirked.  "No, we're miserable and we hate each other."_

"Yeah, we're very happy about it…I guess we have you two and Wu Fei to really thank for it," Trowa said smiling.

"It's nothing," Quatre and Heero both muttered, glancing at each other and smiling.

"I hate to leave like this, but, uh…" Trowa smirked, "you kind of woke us up early, Quatre, so we're going back to the hotel to…sleep…."

"_Sleep…__yes…." Duo snickered as he held Trowa's arm, both of them rising up._

"It's no problem," they replied as the newly wed couple began to walk away.

"And…" Duo said, turning back to face them with a serious expression.  "…We really wish you two the best of luck."

"Take care of yourselves and each other," Trowa added as he prodded Duo to hurry up.  "See you later."

"Bye," Quatre muttered as he felt Heero's gaze upon him.

"How…?"

"Look…I sort of mentioned it to them when I called this morning," Quatre admitted as he looked down at the ground sheepishly.  "I'm not that good at keeping my emotions and thoughts to myself."

"That's okay," Heero said sincerely as he wrapped his arms around Quatre.  "I like an expressive lover."

Quatre flushed and played with the collar of Heero's shirt, suddenly very interested in it.  "You…you _do…do you?"_

"Yes," Heero whispered as he leaned forward to kiss his new lover's forehead.  "I do."

"So…you really think we can make this work?" Quatre asked, expressing himself.

Heero simply nodded and cupped his love's chin in his hand.  Running his thumb along Quatre's cheek, he muttered, "I'm willing to give it a try."

"I…I'm really in love with you, Heero, and I'm not afraid to say it, but…are you…?"

"I'm not going to give you any promises, Quatre," Heero began truthfully, "but I will say…I'm very fond of you and that fondness is growing every time we're together."

He smiled and whispered, "That's good enough for me."

"…I have to thank you, Quatre," Heero muttered as he pressed his lips against his love's forehead.

"For what?"

"…Finding me."

Quatre smiled and said, "You're welcome, koi…it's all about the team," before kissing him passionately.

Heero barely noticed they were in public as his whole world was reduced to just Quatre and this moment.

I gambled with love and others.  Gambling's a sinner's game.  I sinned, so therefore it's my game.  I gamble no longer because I refuse to sin no longer.  I flew upon a wing and prayed upon a prayer that the ones I loved would find each other as I led them apart.  I'm not much different from a sinner or a saint and I can find no differences between a wild animal and myself – pleasure seeking and pain avoiding…both of us, the same.  I tried to make it better, though.  Who am I to try to control the lives of others when I can't do a simple thing as control myself?  I'm a gambler…and a sinner, but both no longer.

I lost myself sometime ago, but someone else found me.  I thought I had myself, but whatever I did, I lost when I came here.  I lost others in the process of trying to find myself, but I found them and brought them back.  I lost the one who found me while trying to find myself, but she found herself on the way to losing me.  I tried to look for myself further, but I found you.  You found me before I realized it and brought me back to myself.  Now I have myself…and now I have you.

And now I have love.

~Owari~

Ack!  I started this fic on December 25, 2000!  Of course, I haven't been working on it that long.  I recently found it, but overall, it's only taken me a couple of days to complete.  Hope you enjoyed it!


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